Review a compact CISI Introduction to Investment cheat sheet for UK market structure, equities, bonds, derivatives, funds, wrappers, taxation, trusts, regulation, and advice-basics traps before Finance Prep practice.
Use this CISI Introduction to Investment cheat sheet as a first-paper checklist before mixed practice. The exam usually rewards clear product recognition, UK wrapper language, and practical risk-purpose matching rather than long technical calculations.
| Item | CISI Intro cue |
|---|---|
| Provider | CISI |
| Exam | Introduction to Investment |
| Format | 50 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes |
| Main practice behavior | recognize products, markets, wrappers, regulation, tax context, and advice implications |
| Finance Prep status | live practice available |
| Area | What to know | Common trap |
|---|---|---|
| Economic environment | inflation, rates, exchange rates, growth, policy signals | memorizing definitions without seeing investment impact |
| Financial assets and markets | primary vs secondary markets, settlement, exchanges, OTC activity | mixing the issuer’s transaction with investor trading |
| Equities | ordinary shares, preference shares, dividends, rights, volatility | assuming equity income is fixed |
| Bonds | coupon, maturity, issuer credit, price-yield relationship | confusing coupon rate with yield or total return |
| Derivatives | forwards, futures, options, hedging, leverage | treating derivatives as always speculative |
| Investment funds | pooled ownership, diversification, pricing, charges, fund styles | ignoring costs, liquidity, or fund objective |
| Regulation | FCA-facing conduct, client protection, disclosure, complaints | choosing product facts when the stem asks for conduct |
| Tax, wrappers, trusts | ISA-style wrappers, trusts, tax treatment, ownership context | treating every tax wrapper as the same |
| Other products | deposits, pensions, insurance-linked products, property | ignoring investor purpose and risk |
| Advice | objectives, risk tolerance, affordability, suitability basics | treating a good product as suitable for every client |
After each set, classify misses as product recognition, market structure, wrapper or tax context, regulation, or advice judgment. If your first read of a stem does not identify the product family, drill the matching topic before doing another full mixed attempt.